“I’m in. Tina and I will walk over.”
“You’re making the T-Rex walk?” Johnny went through a series of first class outraged mannerisms. “You’ll be hogtied for the remainder of your tortured life. Get on your knees like the penitents and saviors of civilization. Perhaps by prayer, she will spare you. We will all mourn your passing if she doesn’t, my friend. Surely you know better than to make T-Rex walk, Payaso.”
“Very funny, Kabong,” Gus replied. “First off, we walk all the time together. Secondly, no one will either suggest or coerce such a thing from me. I’m not speaking to you again unless you apologize. Tina and I get along fine. Never presume to know another man’s marriage.”
“I apologize,” Johnny said, hanging his head in a sorrowful manner. “I should never presume to know what T-Rex will do to you next. How is the writing going, Muerto?”
“Dark Interlude is a hit according to Cass. I’ve already started the new Diego novel. I wrote a couple thousand words this morning before anyone interrupted me. I haven’t titled it yet though.”
“You usually pick a title while you’re outlining,” Gus replied. “Will it be about our ‘Starlight’ op?”
“No. I figured I better put some time between Diego and a cruise ship caper. This one has my ‘femme fatale’ Fatima luring Diego into an unforeseen professional gang heist. The gang works out of Issac’s St. Lucia Island. It again has all the ingredients of a James Bond type interlude in the Caribbean, with Diego’s faithful companions, Jed and Leo.”
“Yes!” Johnny pumped a fist. “Thank you, Muerto! Leo will not let you down as a character. You must find a way to work in my talents in real life with this fabulous character you have created.”
“You mean like sucking up, and kissing ass,” Gus asked.
“Don’t be a hater, Payaso.”
Nick took a few moments to enjoy the interaction before gesturing for calm. “Let’s stick to basics guys. We still have to puzzle out the Mother Ship, Jay Parks told us about before the ‘Starlight’ gig.”
“Damn… that’s right,” Gus said. “With all that’s happened, I forgot about Parks. He’s fish bait. What he told us about his boss Fernando Carone should have been on the top of our list from the time we landed after the ‘Starlight’ op. A Mother Ship off of the Channel Islands near San Luis Obispo? I have to hand it to you, Muerto. You don’t forget anything.”
“Payaso’s right. Did you get a call from your friend Neil about our execution of Jay Parks’ ‘banger crew, Muerto?”
Nick nodded. “Yeah… Neil knew it was the magnificent three that did in Jay’s crew the moment he was summoned to the crime scene. They called an all hands on deck for their discovery of a dozen dead bodies to every precinct from here to Salinas. Naturally, the FBI, DEA, and every local cop had a theory. Neil asked me, but I answered in the form we have agreed on.”
When Nick didn’t go on, Gus threw his hands up in the air, frustration plain on his face. “What form, Muerto?”
Nick held out a stopping gesture with his hand. “Easy, Gus… sorry… if Neil asks me about involvement I tell him ‘oh God help us, that’s terrible’. He knows we killed the gang. I’m turning him to the dark side.”
“Yeah, you have,” Johnny agreed. “Will you please shelve the shocked features, Payaso? We need Neil in the know without making it obvious to everyone in existence. That he goes along with our needed operations is a big plus for us.”
“This doing right crap is draining,” Gus replied.
“Doin’ right ain’t got no end, Payaso,” Nick stated, to much amusement at the ‘Outlaw Josie Wales’ movie reference from his companions.
*
I saw the Nick number on my iPhone. “Nick?”
“Yeah… it’s me, brother John. I have another crappy caper to run by you. Paul signed off on it, but I wanted to call you before it trickled down from Denny.”
Yep. That’s what real professionals do. I hadn’t talked to Nick since we split up after the ‘Starlight’ gig. “It’s good to hear from you, Nick. We have free time. Send the specifics. Count on us for the dance. Is it a party or a prom?”
“It’s definitely a prom date. We’re planning on a possible full dress excursion with music, but only as a last resort.”
I tried muffling the laughter Nick invoked. I knew he spoke of a ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ type date. “Understood. I’ll prep our dates. This will be an exciting dance. We’ll need them to bring all their moves. Good stuff, brother. Do you think we’ll ever get to bow out of these formal functions?”
Nick paused. “We get older and meaner, Dark Lord. It would be a natural thing if our dates lapsed into more conservative calm form, but I have no hopes of such a welcome respite happening to our party persona style, my friend.”
“That’s how I figure it too with the party leaders we have now. Let me know, brother.”